As a small business or corporate organisation, the last thing you would want is the guilt of presenting web design mistakes when launching a digital online space.
Once upon a time, making an error on your website was a sign that you are learning how to properly build and optimize it. Today, a mistake done by a professional web designer or marketing strategist can cost you a lot of customers.
It’s true – people care about solid web design, and they definitely notice mistakes. Whether it’s the keyword-stuffed SEO optimisation efforts, the website loading speed that is snail-like or the mobile responsiveness that distorts a website, there are too many mistakes you can’t afford to make.
Below, we are listing the 5 errors you should avoid making to your website design:
1. Content Written For Search Engines
We get it – you want to rank higher. But hey, do your customers have to suffer because of it?
There are a lot of brands who write content for search engines instead of people. While blending a few keywords in it seems like a good way to go, you should always think about your customers and their needs first.
Businesses worry about too much length, keyword density and using the right keywords to impress search engines. This could be problematic as Google and other search engines don’t rely on us to write for them.
They need us to present a topic we know well enough to be able to offer an easy-to-understand answer for its audience. This will then be easier to get found on the web.
2. A Lack Of Clarity
A common error that web design agencies continue to make is not presenting to the user a clear understanding of what the business website is about. Some mistakes surrounding the lack of clarity include:
- Misplacement of content
- Competing links and categories
- Hidden prices
Study reveals that too many designers are adding content in places that users aren’t too familiar with when browsing.
Menu and category links that sound similar will find users confused in what they are looking for. In this case, your users will most likely bounce off your site and go somewhere else, where content is much more clear and presentable.
Hidden prices on websites will decrease conversion rates because no online shoppers would want to feel misled and be treated dishonestly.
3. User Experience (UX) Errors
Having an error like this speaks for the quality of the web designer you hired. But wait…What’s an UX error?
Basically, it is an error that is related to the user experience or how users feel when browsing through your site. It can be a flawed filter, a button that doesn’t work or a link that repeats itself (or leads to a broken site). In cases like this, it is crucial to act fast and have your developer fix these errors.
4. Low Resolution Image Quality
Who on earth would want to see an image that is blurry?
Obviously, this results in a lower reputation on your brand and once again, missed customers. Also, it helps you understand that every visual on your website should be crisp and clear, and be of top-quality. Oh, and don’t forget that they should also be licensed as stock (free to use)!
5. Slow Website Loading Times
We all get nervous when a page loads slowly, especially when we need it most. You shouldn’t allow mistakes like these. In reality, they are mostly related to your theme, content management system or server, and they obviously need fixing.
Your website’s speed can also be affected by a slow server response time which typically indicates that there is a performance issue on the web hosting server’s end.
Check out Google PageSpeed Insights to view your website loading speed.
Conclusion
With all these things to consider as a website owner, it would be wise to hire a web professional. They can help you ensure that your user interface is designed and setup for the human eye and leaves a good impression on popular search engines such as Google.
Hiring a website and marketing agency such as Design Point can ensure your website generates leads for your business, provides an improved user experience and more importantly avoiding all these common web design mistakes.